Ask me about my Friday night. Go ahead, ask me. Because this is what my answer would be: IT WAS FUCKING AWESOME.

Friday night, May 1, 2009, one of my favorite bands of all time – The Get Up Kids – rolled into town on the last leg of their reunion tour. I’ve loved their music for almost a decade, but had never seen them live. I’m happy to report that nine years was well worth the wait.

There were some added peaks to the show that made it just right, such as the unannounced opening act, Brand New. Or how Matt Pryor’s vocals hit just the right notes on “I’m A Loner, Dottie, A Rebel”. But what really made the show for me were the fans: it was a sold-out house and the youngest people at The Gramercy Theatre couldn’t have been any older than 24. It was much more than a concert for all of us; it was a homecoming experience. Maybe it sounds facetious to say at 26, but it got me thinking about how much time had passed since the first time I listened to Something To Write Home About and now. Even though the concert was in New York, for a hour and a half I was back home in South Jersey.

So, how does such an awesome night end? Easy: I bump into Matt Pryor (lead singer and guitarist of GUK) after the show. I was standing outside the theater, waiting for some friends to negotiate my admission backstage. It was 1:00 a.m. and most of the crowd had dissipated. As I was rather intensely trying to break my old record on iPhone Tetris, Pryor quietly slinked out of the theater and hailed a cab. I approached and tapped him on shoulder –

Me: “Excuse me? You’re Matt, right?”
Matt Pryor: “Yeah.”
Me: “Great show tonight, man. You guys were great.”
Matt Pryor: “Oh. Thanks man.”
Me: “I’ve been a fan for 9 years, and this was the first time I’d ever seen you guys.”
Matt Pryor: “Really? I hope we lived up to expectations.”
Me: “No, totally. You did.”
Matt Pryor: “Glad to hear it. Listen, I gotta go.”
Me: “Of course. Great to meet you, man. Good luck with the rest of the tour.”
Matt Pryor: “Thanks dude. Later!”

Okay, so not the most amazing rock star encounter one can have, but still awesome. The Get Up Kids. One of the best. Thanks for the memories, guys.

My name is Matt Fried. I'm a writer, and this is my website. I live in L.A.

I wrote a novel called The Survivalist, which you can buy on Amazon or iBooks. I've been told it's pretty good.

I enjoy hot dogs.

Buy The Survivalist!

Warren Eves is having one of those years: his fiancee dumped him, his job wants to fire him, and he blew-up a second date with Tracy - the girl of his dreams. As depression and anxiety take hold of the once promising rock musician, Bruce Springsteen shows up in his apartment to save his life. Warren is sure he’s having a nervous breakdown. But - even so - he has nothing to lose, and begins a friendship with Bruce that leads to regrettable one-night stands, career suicide, and - most importantly - soul searching.

The Survivalist by Matt Fried is a comedy about adult disappointments and the choices we make to recover; how those choices can be terrifying, but your imaginary best friend told you to do it.